Why wont you eat?!?!?!?!

[Jay2322]

hey guys looking for some help.

my red tail boa has not eaten in a month and a half. he is not losing any weight from what i can tell but im still getting a little worried. his enclosure is dialed in. heat and humidity are good ( humidity is 60, hot side is 90 and cool side is 80). ive tried feeding him f/t, brained, scented with broth, pre killed, live.......im kinda running out ideas.

does anyone have any words of advice, please?

[Jay2322]

anyone?

[Gio]

anyone?

Hold tight there mate. Evenstar will come to the rescue at some point.

I'm not 100% what cycle your guy is in there, but there are a few possibilities. Is he roaming the cage? Is there a set breeding season you have there? I have been told at some point males will refuse food and search for a mate. I'm not certain that is what is happening but it is one possibility.

Has he emptied his waste both poop and urates lately? Have you recently moved up a prey size? Is he drinking water?

You could try a slight increase in humidity and temps and see if that stimulates his growth cycle a bit. Try 70%-80% humidity and 82 ambient and 92 for the hot spot. See if a few days of that changes his habits.

When was the last shed?

Is he shedding poorly or show signs of partial shed? That can be an indication of an illness.

Are there signs of fluid around the mouth or any mites on him?

Just a few questions and suggestions. I'm sure people will chime in here soon.

[Jay2322]

-he is not roaming the cage.
-no i do not have a set breeding schedule
-yes he used the bathroom three weeks ago now and hasn't done anything since
-prey sizes have stayed the same (large rats, trying for twice a month)
-i have tried the slight rise in humidity and temperature with no success
- he had a full shed 2 weeks ago (well in two pieces but whole non the less)
-i brought him in for a vet check up a month ago and no issues arose and no there is no mites or mucus

[Daybreaker]

How old is he? If he's not a young boa my best guess is that he's off food wanting some ladies....some females can go off feed for this reason too.

[Gio]

Well,

having a Royal python that went 6 months with no food, I guess maybe he is shutting down. I'll research a bit and see what I can find but maybe his growth is slowing and he will completely empty out and start again in a few weeks.

Sounds like you have done everything possible.

Maybe run the heat and humidity at what I stated for another 3-4 weeks.

That's all I've got until I nose around a bit.

My best guess is everything is fine so don't stress just yet.




"How old is he? If he's not a young boa my best guess is that he's off food wanting some ladies....some females can go off feed for this reason too."


Yep, I was thinking the same thing earlier.

[Jay2322]

thanks for your replies.

he is 5 years old this years, so maybe he is just looking for a special someone i guess lol unfortunately he wont be getting any. is it breeding season for boas at the moment?

[Gio]

thanks for your replies.

he is 5 years old this years, so maybe he is just looking for a special someone i guess lol unfortunately he wont be getting any. is it breeding season for boas at the moment?

Ha! Mine will not get any special girl either LOL!

I don't think it is breeding season, but temps and other factors may play a role.

I'm not a breeder so I'm out of my depth on this question. Apologies.

[Evenstar]

How often are you making the attempt to feed?? Offering too often can stress them out.

Boas are usually garbage disposals and it is fairly rare for them to go more than a month without eating. And that's usually only because they are on a 3-4 week schedule. My boas would eat EVERY single week if I allowed it. Sounds like you've tried what you can so I'll offer this last advice:

Stop offering prey for 2 weeks. Make sure his temps and humidity are good and that he has privacy and hides. Leave him completely alone during this time other than to check water and do a quick clean of the enclosure if necessary. At the end of this 2 weeks, offer a live rat that is little smaller than the ideal size. If your boa doesn't take it, I would take him to the vet for a once over (including a fecal exam) to be sure there is nothing medically wrong. If he gets the all-clear, then I'd say he's priming for breeding and you'll have to be patient. But that really is rare even when they want to breed.

It is a little early for boas to breed, but not impossible. Do you have any females in the house?

[Jay2322]

i do have a younger female in the same room, so maybe shes going to be having an affect on him.

i am going to try your advice and hold of for 2 weeks see if that helps. i had tried it before with no success.

thanks for everyone's help